September 26: Operation Sharing’s Town Hall meeting to delve into food security, poverty

Posted by Wim Duizer on Sep 25, 2017

It designed to start a conversation that could lead to real change in how the Oxford County community deals with poverty and food insecurity.

A town hall meeting hosted by Operation Sharing on Tuesday, September 26 will feature keynote speaker Dr. Lynn McIntyre of the University of Calgary who will present key findings from her 30 years of research on how to reduce household food insecurity or inadequate access to food due to financial constraint.

Vanessa Giuliano, spokesperson for Operation Sharing, said the town hall meeting is designed to bring together not only experts in poverty reduction but also those accessing welfare assistance, low-income families, as well as their front line workers — to share their experiences.

“We welcome anyone with ideas about food insecurity and homelessness,” Giuliano said. “It’s a conversation to start the ball rolling — to talk about and put policies in place.”

The event will also feature poverty researcher Dr. Tracy Smith-Carrier from King’s University College, as well as Ken Brooks, a lawyer specializing in poverty law, Warden Paul Mayberry, Chris Cunningham of Southgate Centre and Oxford director human resources Paul Beaton.

The day after the town hall meeting a professional workshop with policy makers, including politicians and other representatives, is expected to lead to a declaration of intent.